Corporate Equality Index FAQ

When will the 2018 Corporate Equality Index survey and report be released?

The next survey - the "Corporate Equality Index 2018" survey - begins April 2017. The following dates are provided for planning purposes only and are subject to modification:

April 2017
invitations to the online survey are mailed to invited employers and e-mailed to employers that have participated in the past (more about the survey). Employers are able to check their rating under the new critera as they complete the survey

August 2017
surveys submitted to HRC for review - employers will be notified of any concerns or inconsistencies found and will be given opportunity to provide clarification

October 2017
ratings finalized

November 2017
2018 Corporate Equality Index report released

December 2017
2018 Buying for Equality guide released

We haven't participated in the past - how do we get involved now?

Make sure that your employer qualifies to participate, then submit the name, position, e-mail, phone number and mailing address of a person authorized to represent your business to cei@hrc.org.

Is there a fee to participate?

No, participation in the Corporate Equality Index survey and report is free.

What does a 100 percent mean on the Corporate Equality Index?

Employers that have earned a 100 percent rating on the HRC Corporate Equality Index have satisfied all of the criteria for that year and are recognized as a "Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality."

These criteria have been created to encourage employers to participate in the index and to advance the best practices for LGBTQ workplace inclusion that should be expected of all large employers. The criteria have always been intended to evolve as more employers adopt existing criteria and new best practices emerge.

Will the rating system and criteria stay the same?

Changes for the 2019 Corporate Equality Index

To earn a 100% in the 2019 CEI (calendar year 2018), participants must:

offer parity between different- and same-sex spouses and have coverage available for domestic partners of enrollees

remove transgender exclusions from all benefits plans

include LGBTQ suppliers as part of their supplier diversity program (if such a program is in existence)

Does every question on the 2018 survey affect my rating?

No, only those questions marked with an orange box listing a corresponding criterion number affect your 2017 CEI score. We include several informational only questions in order to identify new and best practices.

Do we need to be members or supporters of HRC to participate and score well on the survey?

No, the HRC Foundation does not require employers to make financial contributions to HRC in order to obtain a 100 percent. The CEI survey and report is administered and run by staff of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the 501(c)(3) educational arm of the Human Rights Campaign, who do not have fundraising responsibilities.
The CEI awards credit under the Public Engagement criterion in the survey. Employers that have received credit on this criterion have collectively contributed to hundreds of local, state and national LGBTQ groups and events throughout the U.S. since 2002; HRC is just one of the many recipients of such support.